hoarding orientation

in the existential psychoanalysis of Erich Fromm, a character pattern in which the individual doubts that personal needs can ever be completely satisfied and bases his or her sense of security on what he or she can save and own. The character is thought to be rigid, stubborn, and obsessively orderly. Also called hoarding character. See also anal personality. Compare exploitative orientation; marketing orientation.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

imageless thought

thinking that occurs without the aid of images or sensory content. The Würzburg school upheld the existence of imageless thought on the basis of introspective reports, such as experimental participants’ stated ability to name a piece of fruit without picturing it. Edward Bradford Titchener and others in the structural school opposed this view (see structuralism). See Bewusstseinslage.